The Works of Lori Carlson

Tag Archives: Paranormal Mystery

“Mazi, hurry. Bring me the necklace,” Moonsong exclaimed, her voice cracked and edgy as an injured Rayne slumped into her arms. She lowered both her body and Rayne’s to the carpeted floor, one hand pressed over the gaping wound on Rayne’s shoulder and her other hand outstretched to grasp the necklace.

Mazi ran to the center of the circle and handed the necklace to Moonsong, who immediately wrapped the chain around Rayne’s neck. Mazi circled around behind the fallen pair and with trembling fingers, clasped the chain together. The pendant radiated a soft metallic glow as Moonsong chanted an ancient spell.

Rick and Jenna moved at the same time to go to Rayne, but Mazi held up a hand and shook her head. “Stay, we’ve already tampered with the circle. She’ll be okay for a few moments longer,” Mazi whispered.

Moonsong continued chanting, her voice rising and falling with words of intent. The necklace’s glow turned brighter and vibrated against Rayne’s throat. After a few moments, Rayne moaned and fluttered her eyes open. She gazed up at Moonsong, who radiated in a kaleidoscope of colors. Her head ached, as did her shoulder. She tried to move, but the pain was too great. She felt a warmth fill her body as Moonsong ended the chant.

“Charlene, break the circle. We have to treat Rayne’s wounds,” Moonsong demanded.

Charlene went about the quarters as fast as she could, thanking the Lord and Lady and the Watchtowers for guarding their circle. She then kneeled and swept her hand across the salt to open the circle. She nodded at Mazi who rushed from the circle and into another room.

Rick and Jenna hurried to Rayne’s side.

“Here, let me do that,” Rick said to Moonsong as he placed his hand over hers on Rayne’s wounded shoulder.

Moonsong slipped her hand from beneath his and smiled at him. “Thank you, my hand was going numb.”

Rayne winced from the pressure. She tried again to sit up, but slumped her head back into Moonsong’s lap.

“Don’t sit up,” Jenna said as she moved Rayne’s legs to flatten them on the floor.

Mazi returned with a bottle of peroxide and some bandages. “This is the best I can do for now. I need to mix some herbs,” she said as she handed the items to Rick.

Rayne cried out as pain pounded against her skull. She tried to open her eyes, but everything went black again.

# # #

Back in Fairfax, Troy, Captain Jakes, and half of the Fairfax Police Department descended upon Kent Percy’s house at 2216 Trent Avenue. Across the street stood a Stop-n-Go. This had been one of the houses they’d knocked on several times, always with no answer. They didn’t need to knock this time. With a warrant in hand, they broke down the door to the closed-in porch, then the door to the house. Troy and two officers made their way into the house, giving the all-clear as they moved toward to basement. Captain Jakes and his other officers began survey the main floor.

As Troy made his way down the stairs, he heard muffled cries. “Kent Percy, FBI,” he shouted as he neared the foot of the stairs. He stopped before he reached the bottom two and raised his gun.

Percy stood at the long wooden table, a knife pressed at Gina’s throat. Muzzled and strapped to the table, Gina could only whimper.

“Don’t come any closer. I’ll kill her. I swear to god I will.”

Troy’s eyes darted around the room. Two empty cages. He could barely make out Mia in the third.

“Where’s Sally, Kent?”

Percy jerked his head around and glanced at a corner off to the right. Sally leaned against the wall in a fetal position with her eyes closed. “She’s not dead. Not yet, but if you try to take me, I will kill all three of these damn dogs.”

There was a creak on the staircase. One of the officers had advanced a few steps.

Percy lowered his head and raised the bladed-hand to his forehead. With the blunt end of the knife, he pounded on his head repeatedly. “They’re dogs,” he screamed.

Troy took the moment of distraction to advance down another step. “Kent, take a good look at her.”

Percy lifted his head and narrowed his black eyes. He leered at Troy, all the while keeping the knife raised in the air. “You’re trying to trick me. Just like my dad did. Just like…,” his voice trailed off as he glanced down at Gina.

“You loved Bethany. Why would you want to kill this one?” Troy said as he stepped off of the final stair-step.

“’Cause, she ain’t Bethany. None of these mongrels are,” Percy growled as looked back up at Troy. He raised the knife even higher and began to swing it back down toward Gina.

“Don’t do it, Kent!” Troy yelled as he raised his gun a bit higher.

Percy laughed and aimed the knife right at Gina’s heart.

Troy knew if he didn’t act fast, that little girl would be dead. He raised his gun fully, got Percy in his sight and fired. The bullet struck Percy in the chest. As the man fell backwards and onto the floor, the knife slid from his hand and clattered onto the cement. Troy walked over to Percy, his gun still aimed at the man, and slowly bent down, taking the man’s pulse. He was dead. He raced over to Sally and directed the other two officers to attend to Gina and Mia. As he knelt, Troy placed two fingers on Sally’s wrist. He sighed, relieved. The pulse was faint, but she was still alive.

# # #

Rayne stirred, wincing in pain. She opened her eyes, blinking a few times. She felt a light pressure on her hand and slowly moved her head to the left. Jenna sat in a chair beside her bed, sleeping. Her hand rested on Rayne’s. She wiggled her fingers. Jenna sprang up in the chair and glanced over at Rayne.

“Hey,” Rayne whispered. “Did we… are the girls…”

Jenna flashed her a bright smile and leaned in close. “We got him, Rayne. You saved those girls.”

Rayne closed her eyes and sighed. “They’re safe,” she murmured repeatedly before drifting back to sleep.

Hours later, Rayne sat up in the hospital bed with Jenna, Rick and Mazi standing around her. She had to be reassured that Percy was dead and the girls were safe. She thought she’d merely dreamt Jenna’s previous answers.

“Troy got him. One clean shot,” Rick assured her.

“And Sally?”

“She’s fine. Weak and exhausted, but she’s back on her insulin. All the girls are fine, Rayne. You did good.”

Rayne smiled and then scrunched her face in confusion. “I still don’t know how he trapped me there. I couldn’t pass through anything.”

“What do you mean?” Jenna asked.

“Most of the time when I was in his world, I could pass through objects. That’s how I got the house number, but twice he trapped me. Once when he zapped me with the cattle prod and then this time after he pulled me from outside the house.”

Mazi shuddered. “He had some wicked powers. Thank goddess he’s dead.”

Rayne nodded. “I guess we’ll never know now how he did it.”

The four chatted for a while longer and then Jenna and Mazi left to get coffee. Rick sat down on the corner of the bed and squeezed her hand.

“Ready to go back home?” he asked her softly.

Rayne stared up into his lapis eyes. Home? She hadn’t thought about her cottage or her friends in nearly a week. Could she go back to her life as if nothing had happened? Would she be content to just make tinctures and read tarot after all she’d been through? All she’d seen?

“I… I don’t know,” she replied.

Rick grinned. “You could always hang around here a while longer. Maybe help…”

Rayne glanced over at her shoulder and then back at Rick. She had enjoyed working with him and Jenna. It had been dangerous and nearly fatal, but her old life seemed so boring now. She pursed her lips together and closed her eyes. Was this really what she wanted? To work side by side with Rick and Jenna? To help them catch serial killers? She would still need to go home, if for no other reason than to explain to her friends and close up the cottage. It wouldn’t be forever. She could still go home between cases. After a long moment, she popped her eyes opened, grinned at Rick and nodded.

~The End~

or is it?

Seeing You (a working title) is the story of Rayne Fallon, a witch with the power to see into the past and future, although not always accurately. She gets tangled up with FBI’s SA Rick Harris and SA Jenna Styles as they search for an 8 year old missing girl, thought to have been kidnapped by a Serial Killer.

They’d had a lovely dinner at Mazi’s place that night. Roasted root vegetables, couscous, and a broccoli casserole. Rayne had helped Mazi cook while Rick and Jenna consulted with Troy and Trip back in Fairfax. Troy had approved their extra time in New York, although Rick hadn’t told him the exact reason they needed to stay. Troy still wasn’t a hundred percent behind the whole witchy thing. Jenna had filled Trip in on Percy’s alias. He promised to get back in touch if anything popped up. By the time dinner was over, Rayne was exhausted. Mazi had shown her and Jenna to the spare bedroom where a pair of twin beds lined the walls, opposite one another. It wasn’t long before Rayne collapsed and fell asleep.

The next morning, Rayne awoke to loud chatter emanating from the living room of Mazi’s small house. She pulled her robe on over her pajamas and padded down the hall to see what all the commotion was about. Rick paced the room with his cellphone pressed against his ear talking loudly to Troy. Jenna was in a chair, her laptop resting on her lap. She was Skyping with Trip. Meanwhile, Mazi buzzed about her kitchen making coffee and heating bagels in the toaster. Rayne went over to a large blue sofa and sat down, drawing her knees up to her chest.

Rick smiled at Rayne when she entered the room. He continued his conversation for a few more minutes and then ended the call. He crossed the short space of the room and sat down beside Rayne.

Rick placed a hand on her arm. “Got a bit of good news,” he said with a warm smile. “Using the brief description of the store across from Percy’s place you gave us, Troy says they’ve narrowed down one row of homes where it could be seen from a basement. They are canvassing the houses now.”

Rayne rubbed her eyes and yawned. “That is good news,” she muttered.

Rick nodded. “We are closing in on him. You may not have to put yourself through that circle thing tonight.”

“That would be a good thing,” Mazi said as she entered the room holding a tray of coffee mugs. “I still think it’s too risky.”

Rick reached up and took a mug. “She will have the necklace to protect her too.”

Rayne shook her head in protest. “I can’t wear the necklace.”

“Why not?”

Mazi sat the tray on the table between the sofa and chairs. She plopped down in a chair beside Jenna and sighed. “It will prevent her from seeing anything.”

Rayne nodded as she straightened out her legs and leaned over to get a cup of coffee. “I should still be okay inside the circle.”

“Let’s hope we nab this guy before then,” Rick said. He took a sip of his coffee. They had canvassed that row of houses earlier, but three-fourths of the homeowners hadn’t answered. It was still a long-shot.

Jenna closed her laptop and sat it on the table. She reached for a cup of coffee. “Trip didn’t find anything on Arthur Kent. No bank accounts, credit cards, property leases or rentals. Zero.”

“I didn’t expect he would find anything. Percy has been very careful,” Rick stated.

“Everything has been in Decker’s name and they still can’t get him to talk. Trip says they’ve been hammering away at him for days now.”

“The poor kid is probably scared out of his wits and who can blame him. Arthur… I mean, Kent Percy could just astral on over to the jail and kill him in his sleep,” Mazi surmised as she held her coffee mug between her hands. She lifted the cup to her lips and mumbled, “I hope he gets caught before nightfall. I’m still uneasy about the circle gathering.”

Rayne shivered. She hadn’t thought about Percy using astral projection in that way. Was he really that strong? If so, why hadn’t he tried to kill her, or Rick and Jenna for that matter? Maybe he needed a link with the person to astral project that way. He probably had that kind of link with Leo. She felt sorry for the kid. Her brief glimpses into Percy’s life had been terrifying. She could only imagine what Leo had been living through.

“You okay?” Rick asked her, noticing that she was now shivering.

Rayne flashed him a faint smile. “Yeah. Just trying to figure out what abilities Percy does have.”

“None that are good,” Jenna quipped.

They all nodded their heads in agreement.

They spent the rest of the morning with more coffee and bagels, and talking strategy for the circle gathering. Mazi explained to Jenna what to expect and drew her a diagram of the details. Rayne had curled up next to Rick with her head on his shoulder. She drifted in and out of sleep. Around midday, Rick’s cellphone rang. It was Troy again.

“Yes, sir. I will tell them,” Rick said as he ended the call with a distressed look on his face.

“What is it?” Jenna asked.

“Leo’s dead. He hung himself this morning.”

“Damn it,” Jenna said through clinched teeth. “There goes another potential lead. Any word on the canvassing?”

“Same as before. Too many people not answering.”

Rayne sighed as she looked from Rick to Jenna. Finally, her eyes rested on Mazi’s face. “Guess we’re doing the circle after all.”

# # #

By nightfall, they returned to the Rosewood Center. Mazi lead them past the large room they’d been in the day before, down a long hallway and into an even larger space. Like in the previous room, one could easily tell that in its heyday, it had been an industrial space. It had high ceilings with metal scaffolding, but inside this room, the walls were covered with crimson cloth and the cement floor was cushioned with black carpeting. Tall candelabras were place throughout the room. Six white candles burned from each one. Nine other members of the coven stood around chatting when they entered the room, but they fell silent when they saw Mazi. She introduced everyone and the conversation picked up again. After a few minutes, Moonsong joined the gathering, wearing a long white gown, and carrying a single black candle. She moved to the center of the room and motioned for Rayne to join her.

With Rayne by her side, Moonsong stretched out her hands. “My Rosewood sisters and brothers, please form a circle.” She waited until everyone had taken their places, black candles in hand. “Charlene, please caste the circle and call the Watchtowers,” she concluded.

Walking around the outside of the circle created by the members, Charlene poured salt behind them, encircling them with the protective salt. Finally, she moved into position at each direction and called the Watchtowers. “Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air; I do summon call and stir you up, to witness our rites and to guard the Circle…” When she finished the summon at each quarter, Charlene returned to her place in the circle.

Moonsong took a matchbox from a pocket in her gown and struck a match. She lit her black candle and then blew out the match. She walked around the circle, lighting everyone’s candle from her own. When all where lit, she returned to her place beside Rayne. “May the light of these black candles dispel anything negative or evil from this circle.” She lifted her hands into the air again and said, “Lord and Lady, I do summon thee. Join us in this sacred rite and guard our Circle.”

In awe, Rayne stood beside Moonsong. She’d practiced her family’s style of kitchen witchery her entire life, but she’d never experienced an actual coven gathering. Even when she’d gone with her grandmother to Salem, they hadn’t taken the time to join one. She closed her eyes and soaked in the energy of the circle. She felt safe. When she opened her eyes again, Rayne stared at the faces across from her. Rick appeared completely at peace, but Jenna’s face was marred by uncertainty. Rayne flashed her a quick smile as she felt Moonsong’s hands encircle her neck, unclasping the necklace. Moonsong walked over to Mazi, handed the necklace to her and returned to Rayne’s side.

One of the male coven members clicked a small device in his hand and the room echoed with enchanting music, a mixture of drums, the flute and a woman’s soft voice. Everyone lowered their candles to the floor in front of them and then clasped hands. Moonsong moved behind Rayne, embraced her, and began chanting an ancient spell. Rayne couldn’t understand the foreign words, but she felt the power in them. She closed her eyes and swayed to the music and the sound of Moonsong’s voice.

Rayne felt the nausea immediately. She opened her eyes. The circle had disappeared and in its place, the dingy walls of Percy’s living room appeared. She stood there for a long moment to get her bearings. The room was dark except for a tinge of light coming from a window. She moved toward the window, but then heard a noise coming from a lit room off to her right. As she followed the noise, she recognized the sound. An electric can opener. She entered the room. The kitchen. She glanced around. In one corner stood a green refrigerator and across from it, a white stove that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in decades. Food and grease stained the stove-top. She walked on, moving silently around a corner where a round wooden table stood in front of a bay window. Kent Percy stood bent over a counter, a can in one hand and the other hand holding an electric can opener. She inhaled deeply, cupping her mouth with her hands. When she realized that Percy hadn’t detect her presence, she exhaled and walked around the counter, staring down at two opened cans on the counter-top. Dog food. Percy finished opening the last can, reached into a cabinet above his head and removed three small bowls. He emptied the dog food into them and tossed the cans in a trash can beside the counter.

Rayne felt relieved. Three bowls meant the girls were still alive, even if he was feeding them dog food. She sighed heavily.

Percy picked up the three bowls and turned to leave the room. Suddenly, he stopped. He looked around the room, his dark eyes scanning every inch of it. He furrowed his brow and frowned. After a few seconds, he walked out of the kitchen, through the living room and down the hallway. He stopped at a door, put the bowls on the floor and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the padlock on the door. He opened the door, put the padlock on the hook and picked up the bowls of food.

Rayne stood inches behind him. She felt a sense of disgust from him and heard words echoing in her head.

Where the hell are you Leo? You know I hate feeding these damn dogs.

She followed him as he descended the long staircase down into the basement. She stood on the last step as she watched him fumble for the table, sit the bowls down, and then reach up and pull the cord to the light. As a soft yellow glow filled the room, Rayne glanced over at the cages. Gina sat in her cage with her hands and feet tied, her head slumped against the cage, asleep. Sally laid with her face pressed against the cage, unblinking, but still alive. Mia cowered in a corner of her cage, a muzzle over her mouth and both her hands and feet bound, lightly whimpering.

While Percy unlocked the cages, loosened the girls’ bound hands, and fed them, Rayne took the chance to nose about upstairs. She ascended the stairs and moved back into the living room. She loomed over tables and shelves hoping to see something with an address on it. She tried to touch an overturned envelope, but her hand just passed right through it. She walked to the window with the dim light coming through, but could only see a walled-in front porch with a small hole in the cheap plywood where light from a street light peeked through. She sighed as she walked into a bedroom, looked around, but still found nothing that would help. She returned to the living room.

As she stood there feeling useless, an idea came to her. She could pass through things, what if… She went to the front door and reached a hand toward it. As her hand slid through the door, a big smile creased her face. She pressed her entire body through the door and found herself standing on the walled-in front porch. She glanced around. A wicker chair, porch swing, small table. She looked up on the wall of the house, but there was only a faint outline of what used to be house numbers. She’d have to go through the outer door. She walked over to it and again pressed her body through it. She now stood on cement steps. She turned and looked up at a column. 2216.

Suddenly, Rayne felt a hand grab her arm and jerk her back inside the walled-in front porch. She let out a scream.

“I knew you were snooping around, witch!”

Rayne came face to face with Kent Percy. His dark eyes bore into her own. She could smell the stench on his breath and feel the pain in her arm as he squeezed it.

“What did you see?”

Rayne was silent. Percy squeezed her arm tighter.

“Tell me, witch!”

“Nothing. I didn’t see anything,” Rayne stammered.

“I don’t believe you,” Percy seethed. He pulled out a knife from his back pocket and swung it at her. “If I kill you here, you die there.”

Rayne wrenched her arm free and ducked, but the knife slashed a gash in her shoulder. She let out another scream and covered her head with her uninjured arm. Percy lunged at her again. She twisted away from him and crashed into the wicker chair. Why didn’t she pass through it? She got to her feet just as she saw the knife coming at her again. The blade aimed at her chest. She cried out and backed against the wall. Again, she didn’t pass through it. Something was seriously off. She slithered along the wall, moving back toward the front door. Percy’s eyes followed her as he moved closer toward her, the knife ready to pierce her heart. She stumbled over something on the floor and fell to the ground. Her head struck a sharp object and everything went black.

Seeing You (a working title) is the story of Rayne Fallon, a witch with the power to see into the past and future, although not always accurately. She gets tangled up with FBI’s SA Rick Harris and SA Jenna Styles as they search for an 8 year old missing girl, thought to have been kidnapped by a Serial Killer.

Moments after Rayne laid out her plan, Charlene arrived at the Rosewood Center. At barely five-feet tall, the twenty-something entered the center in a flurry of panicked apologies for her late arrival. She carried a long hobo bag slung over her shoulder and several paper bags in her arms. She placed all the bags on the long table and smiled at everyone. Tossing her long black hair over her shoulder, the hazel-eyed woman plopped down in one of the chairs and let out a deep sigh.

“Hey, I know I’m late, but why the long faces?” she asked.

Mazi let out a nervous chuckle. “It’s not because you are late. We’ve had some disturbing turnabouts.”

“Oh dear! This is related to Arthur, I presume.”

Mazi nodded. “Let me introduce you to SA Jenna Styles,” she said as she pointed to Jenna. “Rayne Fallon, the one we enchanted the pendant for,” she continued, pointing at Rayne. “And you know my cousin Rick,” she concluded with a smile and nod at Rick.

“Good to see you again, Rick.” Charlene flashed a bright smile at him and then turned her attention to Jenna and Rayne. “Lovely to meet you, ladies. Wish this was under better circumstances.”

Rick stood up and walked over to Charlene. He leaned down and embraced her. “Good to see you too, Charly.” He released his hold on her and kissed her cheek. Charlene had always been one of his favorites of Mazi’s coven sisters and affectionately called her Charly. Rick walked back around the table and picked up the file folder. He removed Leo Decker’s picture and handed it to her.

“Oh yes, I remember this guy. Quiet, timid, always clinging to Arthur at the festivals,” Charlene noted. “He never came to any of the meetings though. Arthur said he didn’t approve of him messing with witches.” She rolled her eyes. “I felt sorry for the kid though. Arthur was such an asshole to him.”

“Mazi said you did a one on one with Arthur once. Can you tell us about it?” Jenna inquired.

“It was a horrible mistake to astral travel with him,” Charlene began, her voice quivering. “When we got to the astral plane, I realized that he wasn’t interested in anything spiritual about the place. He wanted to see if he could inflict pain in real time while in the astral.” She lifted the black sheer blouse she wore and pointed to the scar on the left side of her ribcage. “The bastard stabbed me!” she concluded.

Rick stared at the scar for a long moment and then asked, “Was there anything unusual about him before this incident?”

Charlene shivered. “He was always an odd duck. Obsessed with his dead father. I didn’t think much of it at the time. Just thought he was one of those emo artists.”

“Did you ever see any of his art?” Jenna asked.

“A few times. He invited me to his studio once. He had a series of beautiful watercolors, mostly with angels, little girls and their dogs, stuff like that. Then I went to one of his shows. He’d done a series of brutal sculptures. Twisted, horrid stuff. Scared me shitless. I had to leave. It was all too creepy. A week after that show was when we did the astral projection.”

Rayne furrowed her brow. “We’ve seen his handiwork… sculptures, I mean.”

Rick pulled out the notes on Percy from the folder. “Arthur’s real name is Kent Percy.”

“The first time he came to the center, he signed in as Kent something, but scribbled out the last name and wrote Arthur Kent after it. I thought it was peculiar at the time, but when I heard he was an artist, I figured it was just a pseudonym. They all have them. Artsy types, you know?”

Jenna nodded as she looked up from her iPad. “I just sent a message to Trip to do a search on Arthur Kent. We know he’s used the name Arthur in Fairfax, but if he is using the full name, we may get some financials on him.”

“Or more,” Rick hoped.

Charlene relaxed. It felt good to get all the information she’d known about Arthur and Leo off her chest. Then she realized how solemn everyone looked when she’d arrived. She leaned her elbows on the table and cupped her cheeks with her hands. “Say, why did you all look so down when I came in? I mean, it wasn’t because I was late and none of this stuff about Arthur and Leo is so depressing. What gives?”

“Rayne needs our help,” Moonsong said, having kept quiet until now.

“What kind of help?”

Moonsong looked over at Rayne and nodded her head. “I’ll let Rayne fill you in.”

Rayne wrung her hands in her lap. It had already unnerved her the first time she spelled out her idea, and it wasn’t going to be any easier this time either. She cleared her throat. “I’ve been able to explore the area where Percy lives a little without his knowledge, but eventually he discovers what I am doing and puts a stop to it. We are nowhere close to stopping this… this lunatic. I need more time to explore, to see something significant – a building out a window, a street sign or his house number. I thought maybe,” she paused, looked up at Moonsong, and then continued, “if I were inside a protective circle, in this place with a protection spell against him already in place, then I could find something to help the FBI nab him.”

Charlene clapped her hands together and her face lit up. “That sounds like a wonderful idea!”

“You can’t be serious,” Mazi stated.

Charlene laughed. “What could go wrong inside a protected circle?”

“Quite a lot,” Moonsong said as she glared at Charlene. “We only have eleven members available right now. I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing this without a full thirteen. And from what Rayne has told us, he has grown stronger. Any number of things could go wrong.”

Charlene lowered her eyes. “Sorry, High Priestess. I didn’t mean to be flippant about this.”

“No matter,” Moonsong said. “We just don’t have the strength to pull something like this off.”

Mazi suddenly became excited. “But we do, Moonsong. Rick has joined some of our gatherings before and Jenna can join in too.”

“Wait! What? I don’t even know if I believe in all of this stuff,” Jenna protested.

Rick turned to his partner. “You don’t have to believe. You just have to join the circle with an opened mind and an intent to help.”

Jenna glanced over at Rayne and saw the pleading in her eyes. How could she not help Rayne now after all she had done for the FBI in this case? She closed her eyes and inhaled. If her Catholic grandmother could see her now, she’d pay a ghostly visit to the Pope and have Jenna excommunicated. She laughed internally. She’d never even prayed or given a confession. Her grandmother was probably already petitioning the Pope. Sighing, she opened her eyes and nodded at Rayne.

“Okay, I’m in.”

Rayne smiled and Moonsong shrugged her shoulders.

“I guess we’ll attempt this after all,” Moonsong resolved. “But… we need to do it on a full moon and that isn’t until tomorrow night. Can you all stay until then?”

“I’ll call Troy and confirm it, but I doubt he’ll have any problems with it,” Rick assured her.

“We’ll have to extend out hotel reservations,” Jenna interjected.

Mazi huffed. “Nonsense, you can stay with me. It’ll give Rick and I a chance to catch up,” she said as she winked at Rick. Rick grinned back at her.

Moonsong stood up. “That’s that then. Charlene, call the other members and remind them to all bring a black candle. Mazi, you and I will prepare the meeting hall tonight. As for you three,” she said, glancing from Rayne to Rick and finally at Jenna, “I suggest you rest up. This is going to be a tiring ordeal.”

Seeing You (a working title) is the story of Rayne Fallon, a witch with the power to see into the past and future, although not always accurately. She gets tangled up with FBI’s SA Rick Harris and SA Jenna Styles as they search for an 8 year old missing girl, thought to have been kidnapped by a Serial Killer.

Rick hadn’t spoken to Mazi since they’d discovered who Kent Percy was, but now that the coven was a potential lead, he’d have to involve her. He and Jenna wrapped up the interrogations and joined Jack and Rayne in the conference room. Rick filled Jack in on the Rosewood Coven angle.

“I’d been puzzled for a while now,” Rick began, “trying to figure out how Percy communicated with Rayne the way he has. If he was involved with witches, then he may have picked up some means of telepathy or…”

“It’s a form of astral projection,” Rayne corrected him.

Jack scrunched up his face. “What’s that?” he asked.

“It’s a technique we use to move through time and space on an astral plane, but normally during sleep. Percy isn’t asleep when I see him in my visions. He’s modified it somehow.”

Jenna’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t think he is psychic too, do you?”

Rayne shrugged. “Maybe a little? But I don’t get that sense about him. He can only see me when I see him. If he was truly psychic, he should be able to see and know things without my presence.”

Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “No offense, Rayne, but all of this sounds like hocus-pocus to me.”

Jenna laughed. “I had the same opinion at first, Jack, but Rayne is authentic and she knows what she’s talking about.”

“Oh, I am not doubting you, Rayne. It will just take me a while to process all of this.”

Rayne smiled at Jack. “No offense taken. I am not sure I completely understand it all either.”

Jack returned the smile. “Good, I don’t want to be hexed,” he said with a wink. “So, what’s on your agenda next?” he asked as he turned his head toward Rick.

“We need to talk to Mazi. She’s in Brooklyn, so we should go there next.”

“We also need to talk to Percy’s parents,” Jenna injected.

“Let my team talk to the parents,” Jack suggested. “If they have anything to add, we’ll let you know.”

Rick and Jenna agreed.

Jack nodded at Rick and Jenna. “We’ll get to it then,” he said as he walked off to inform his team.

“I’d better call Mazi. Wouldn’t want to just show up unannounced,” Rick decided as he pulled his cellphone out of his briefcase and dialed her number.

“Mazi Star… how may I chart you?”

“Mazi?”

“Rick?”

“Hello, cousin. Quite a catchy lead-in.”

Mazi laughed. “Thanks, cuz. What’s up?”

“I’m in New York, working this case. I need your help.”

“Is it related to that necklace I sent for Rayne?”

“A bit. We think the guy we are looking for was a member of Rosewood.”

“Gotta name?”

“Kent Percy.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell, but Charlene keeps the coven’s records. Meet me at Meadow Avenue. We just rented a loft space there for Rosewood. It will be so good to see you, Rick.”

“You too, Mazi. We’ll be there in an hour, depending on the traffic.”

“We? Did you bring Jenna with you?”

“I did, but Rayne is with us as well.”

“So, I will finally get to meet your Rayne Fallon. Goody,” Mazi said with a wicked, yet playful tone.

Rick chuckled. “See you in a bit, cuz.”

Rick ended his call with Mazi and walked over to Jenna and Rayne. “It’s all set. Mazi didn’t recognize Kent Percy’s name though.”

Jenna wrinkled up her nose. “Maybe he used an alias like he did down at the church center.”

“Could be. Let’s go find out.”

They gathered their briefcases and, along with Rayne, set off to Brooklyn.

# # #

“Mazi, this is Rayne,” Rick said as he introduced the two.

Mazi embraced Rayne. “It is so good to finally meet you.” She loosened her hold and looked at Rayne’s neckline. She lifted the pendant and smiled. “How has this worked for you?”

“I don’t know how you knew what I needed, but I cannot thank you enough. It has saved my life more than once.”

Mazi led Rick, Jenna, and Rayne into the heart of the Rosewood Center. They stopped at a long table, where Mazi directed them all to sit. “When Rick told me what you were going through with your visions, I consulted my coven. Moonsong, our High Priestess, suggested that we enchant a pendant for you. You’ve had no ill-effects from the visions?”

“Very little. A bit of nausea and dizziness, but not like before with the severe stomach pains.”

Mazi clapped her hands together. “Excellent. That was our goal. To stop any illnesses.”

“It did more than that though,” Jenna said.

“Oh? What else?”

“I no longer see through his eyes. I am now independent of his field of vision,” Rayne informed her. “But, that only happened once. Now, if I am wearing the pendant, I don’t have visions.”

“Well, that was unanticipated effect. It was not our intention to stop your visions, only mask the illnesses caused by them.”

Rayne smiled. “I understand how these things work. I’ve never enchanted anything, but I understand cause and effect. If my visions are the cause of my illnesses, then the effect would be no visions.”

Rick shrugged. “Makes perfect sense to me.”

“Yes, but without the visions, I am of no help to the investigation,” Rayne injected.

“Speaking of the investigation,” Rick said as he directed his attention to Mazi, “we want to show you a photograph of Kent Percy.”

Jenna took out a folder from her briefcase and handed it to Mazi. “It’s the one on top. The second one is of Leo Decker. Maybe you will recognize him as well.”

Mazi opened the folder and as soon as she saw Percy’s picture, she dropped it on the table. She raised a hand to her mouth and inhaled. She exhaled and her body quivered. “That’s Arthur.”

Jenna and Rick flashed knowing glances at one another.

“Who is he?” Rick inquired.

“I don’t know him very well. He came to a few festivals and some meetings. We all got weird vibes from him. I recall that Moonsong expelled him from the group.”

“Do you know why?”

“She said that he kept asking her questions about how to transcend the body. We thought he was just interested in Astral Projection, which we were exploring at the time. He wanted to go deeper though. He did a one on one with Charlene and well, let’s just say that the experience wasn’t good. She said he physically attacked her while they were on the astral plane. She has a scar to prove it.”

Jenna furrowed her brow and narrowed her eyes. “What kind of attack?”

“A knife attack, but when she came out of the projection, he was still in and there were no knives around.”

“He did that to Rayne with a cattle prod,” Rick said.

Rayne nodded.

“Were there any other reasons he got expelled?” Jenna inquired.

“Yes, there was,” a female voice said behind them. A tall woman with long blonde hair approached the table. “I am Moonsong,” the woman said.

Rayne stared up at the woman. She wore a long purple velvet gown and her eyes were tanzanite, a purplish blue that glistened in the sunlight streaming in the windows. Tanzanite was rare, only found in Tanzania, East Africa. A stone that radiated compassion and was associated with higher consciousness. Her gaze followed Moonsong as she came around the table and sat down across from Rayne.

“You must be Rayne,” Moonsong said as she reached across the table and clasped one of Rayne’s hands.

“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Rayne squeezed Moonsong’s hand and smiled at her, her gaze not leaving the woman’s eyes.

“She’s very good with stones and crystals,” Moonsong said as she released her hold on Rayne’s hand and turned toward Rick. “To answer your previous question. There was another reason I expelled Arthur from the group. He wanted to learn how to communicate with the dead. I offered to teach him how to use the tarot or a spirit board, but he rejected both. We argued and he threatened me. I saw no other recourse but to expel him.”

“Did he say who he wanted to communicate with?” Rayne asked.

Moonsong glanced back over at Rayne. “His father. He said he had some unfinished business with him. When I inquired about the nature of that business, he said he wanted his father to suffer for what he did to him and his sister. I explained that we don’t do that kind of spirit work here.” She lowered her eyes. “What he was seeking was black magic.”

Jenna coughed. “I know I am new to all of this, so please excuse my ignorance. What could he have possibly done to his father who’s already dead?”

Moonsong looked up. “He wanted to trap his father’s spirit. At least, that’s what he claimed.”

“Trap it how?” Rick asked.

“I don’t know. He acted strange and had a dark look in his eyes. When I refused to help him, that’s when he grew angry and threatened me. I ordered him to leave and immediately put a protection spell around the house we were using at that time for our coven meetings.”

Jenna took notes on her iPad. “Did you ever hear from him again?”

“Not directly. Charlene spotted him once at an herb shop where we frequented. We changed our shopping location after that.”

Turning the folder around, Rick pulled out the picture of Leo and showed it to Moonsong. “Did you ever see this guy with him?”

“He looks familiar. Maybe he came to one of the festivals we held, but I cannot be sure. Mazi?”

Mazi looked at the picture and nodded her head. “He does look familiar. You said this is Leo Decker, correct?”

Rick nodded.

“Let me call Charlene. She organized most of the festivals and kept names of attendants.”

Mazi stood up and walked over to a desk. She picked up her cellphone and called Charlene. Meanwhile, Rick probed Moonsong for more details and Jenna took notes. Rayne sat there listening to their conversation, but only half-paying attention. She was worried for those three girls. Now that Decker was out of the picture, who would feed and tend to them? Percy certainly wouldn’t. He was too cold and cruel.

“She’s on her way,” Mazi said as she wandered back over and sat down.

For a moment, the five fell silent. Suddenly, Rayne had an idea, but she wasn’t sure Moonsong would go along with it. She looked over at the High Priestess.

“What is it, child?” Moonsong asked.

“Did you place the same protection spell around this place when you moved Rosewood here?”

“Of course.”

“Then I think I have a way to see where Percy is and save those girls, but I would need your help,” Rayne said as her eyes widened with excitement.

Rick scratched his head. “Sounds dangerous.”

Moonsong nodded. “If she is about to suggest what I think she is, it will be.”

Seeing You (a working title) is the story of Rayne Fallon, a witch with the power to see into the past and future, although not always accurately. She gets tangled up with FBI’s SA Rick Harris and SA Jenna Styles as they search for an 8 year old missing girl, thought to have been kidnapped by a Serial Killer.

Rayne screamed, closed her eyes, and shook her head. When she re-opened her eyes, Percy was still there. She stared into his obsidian eyes and found only darkness there. She fumbled with her skirt to find the necklace, but her hand kept missing the pocket.

You can’t get rid of me so quickly, witch. Where’s Leo? he asked again.

I don’t know.

You’re lying. He’s been missing for over a day now. He’s never gone this long. Do the police have him? Tell me!

Maybe he hooked up with someone else. Or maybe he went back to New York.

Nonsense. I own him. He knows it.

Rayne found the pocket and pulled the necklace out. She wrapped it around her neck, but fumbled with the clasp. Percy leered at her, anger radiating from his eyes. She couldn’t get the necklace secured. She cried out as Percy again shouted at her.

I will find him and you! You’re dead, witch.

Rayne felt a hand reach around her neck and clamp the necklace. As Percy’s face faded, another face took its place. Rick had pulled the car over and was in the backseat with Rayne. She blinked a few times. It was Rick in her field of vision now. She wrapped her arms around his neck and wept. Rick held her and allowed her tears to flow. After a long while, she stopped crying and lifted her head.

“Thank you. I couldn’t…”

“It’s okay. When you began screaming, I knew something was wrong. I saw you trying to get your necklace back on and pulled over. Are you okay?”

“A little nauseous, but otherwise I’m fine.”

Jenna stared back at Rayne with a tilt of her head. “What did you see this time?

“Percy. In my face. Eyes filled with rage.”

“How convenient. Now that we know what he looks like, he shows his face. But how does he know we know?”

Rayne shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know for sure that he does know. What’s certain is that he knows Decker is missing and he was fishing for answers to his whereabouts. He thinks the police have him. Maybe he thinks Decker gave him up.”

“He’d have been arrested if Decker gave him up. No, if he even suspects that the police have Decker, Percy knows he will never talk. You two didn’t see it,” Rick paused for a moment and then continued, “but when I interrogated Decker, he was scared out of his mind. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone with that level of fear.”

“The Borkowski case,” Jenna said with a nod.

“Yes, that one,” Rick confirmed. “I’ll spare you the gory details. The point is, there were two of them. One was charismatic and dominate, like Percy. The other was timid and obedient, much like Decker. A killing duo, but I honestly believe the dominate one did all the murders. The timid one was too damn scared, of his partner and pretty much life itself. We tried for weeks to get him to crack and give up his partner, but it never happened. He’s on death row now alongside his partner. If he’d have talked, he might have gotten twenty to life.”

“Percy isn’t scared that Decker will give him up. He’s lost control of this whole situation and that’s what’s driving him now. He wants control back,” Jenna said.

Rayne nodded. “He could have left me out of it though. He… he threatened… to kill me again.”

Jenna looked down at her iPad. “We’d better get going. We are supposed to meet up with SA Peterson in few hours. Would you like me to join you back there, Rayne?”

“Please. I doubt anymore visions will come through now that I have the necklace back on, but I don’t want to be alone back here either.”

Rick and Jenna traded places and Rick drove on as dawn approached. He turned the jazz music on again and fell silent. Jenna cradled Rayne in her arms. She lightly stroked her hair as the young girl’s body quivered with unease. After a while, she felt Rayne’s body soften and her breathing evened out. Rayne fell into an untroubled sleep.

# # #

They arrived in Manhattan earlier than previously thought. With an hour to kill before their meeting with SA Peterson, Rick took them to a small diner near the New York field office for breakfast. Rayne had never been in such a big city before. She was in awe of the tall buildings and the rush of people coming and going. As they sat in the diner, Rayne stared out the window, while Rick drank coffee and Jenna coordinated with Trip over her iPad.

Rick poked Rayne on the arm. “You really should have something to eat.”

“I can’t. My stomach is still in knots. He was this close,” she said as she held her hand in front of her face. “I can still see his eyes.”

“I wish I could take that away from you.”

Rayne lightly smiled. “I know you would, but no one can. I just have to deal with it.”

Jenna let out a slight yelp of glee. “You know that convenience store you saw?”

Rayne nodded.

“Turns out, there are three such stores along the metro line. Two within the triangulation area. Troy and the local PD are checking them out today. We are getting closer to him, Rayne. I can feel it.”

Rick chuckled. “Since when have you gone with your gut instincts?”

Jenna kicked him under the table.

“Ouch!”

“Serves you right. I don’t always rely on facts.”

“Since when?”

“Well… since meeting Rayne.”

Rick smiled at Jenna and then at Rayne. “You are having a positive effect on my partner.”

Rayne laughed as Jenna glared at Rick. The mood had been alleviated once again thanks to the friendly banter between the pair. They finished their coffee, paid the bill, and set off down the street to the New York field office.

# # #

“Rayne Fallon, this is SA Peterson. He runs this field office,” Rick said as he introduced the two.

“My pleasure, Miss Fallon. You can call me Jack. Everyone does.”

“Nice to meet you, Jack. And I am Rayne, no need for formalities with me either.”

Jack clapped his hands. “Well, now that we all know one another, let’s get down to business.” He stretched out his hand and directed the three into a conference room. “As you can see,” he said, pointing to a white board with pictures tacked to it, “we have six men who are willing to talk to us about Decker and Percy. We have them in separate interrogation rooms. Rayne, you will be able to watch and hear them from the booth.”

“That’s a small room with monitors set up,” Jenna explained to her.

Rayne nodded. This was a whole different set-up from back in Fairfax. There were rows of cubicles and agents walking about. Everyone looked at her as they passed, which overwhelmed Rayne a bit. She wrung her hands and glanced around the room, her eyes darting back and forth. She suddenly felt faint and realized that she should have eaten some breakfast as Rick suggested.

Jenna noticed Rayne’s discomfort. “Are you okay?”

“A little dizzy. Do you think I could have some tea?”

“I’ll see what they have. You’ll be okay, Rayne. You’ll be in the booth with Jack while Rick and I talk to those men.” Jenna patted Rayne on the hand and headed off in search of tea.

Rayne stood by the white board, half-listening to Rick and Jack talk. She studied the faces of the men in the pictures. A couple of them reminded her of Decker. Young, slim and innocent-looking. The model type. They were both beautiful men. Three others looked like they’d been strung out on drugs for a while. Their cheeks were shrunk in and their eyes were large with a wild look in them. The last one intrigued Rayne. He seemed perfectly normal. If she’d met him on the street, there’d been nothing to set him apart from anyone else walking along. She wondered how he knew Decker and Percy.

“Here you go,” Jenna said, half-startling Rayne.

Rayne took the cup and smiled at Jenna. “Sorry, a bit jumpy.”

“Think nothing of it. Come on. I’ll get you set up in the booth.”

Moments later, Rayne sat inside the booth with earphones on. Jack sat to her left monitoring the interrogation rooms. She watched as Rick and Jenna walked into the room with one of the models, who called himself Jax.

“Just Jax, the young man said. “It’s all the rave these days to just use a single name.”

“Okay, Jax,” Rick said as he took a seat across from the young man. “We don’t have a lot of time to waste, so I will just get right to it. What’s the nature of your relationship with Leo Decker and Kent Percy?”

The man shifted in his chair. “With Kent, hardly none. He is an artist and I sat for him a few times.”

“And Leo?” Jenna asked.

“We lived together, as lovers,” he said with a smile as his eyes went dreamy. “Leo is the most beautiful man I’ve ever met. We were happy too, until Kent came along.”

“How did you two meet Kent?” Rick inquired.

“At the club. Cheery O’s, a gay club. Leo and I had to pay our bills, you know?”

“That’s where Leo got arrested for male prostitution, correct?”

Jax nodded. “We both did, several times. Kent showed up one night. Some rich kid with money to blow,” he said with a wink. “He asked us if we wanted to model for him. I was reluctant, but Leo said yes right away.”

“How would you describe Kent’s personality at that time?” Jenna asked.

Jax crossed his legs and leaned in toward Jenna. “To put it bluntly, he was a prick. He had several of us modelling for him, but most of the time he would cancel our appointments. The money was good when he kept them though. He became obsessed with Leo. After a while, he only wanted him. The rest of us were given the shaft.”

“How did Leo react to Kent’s attention?”

“Moon-struck. He moved out of our apartment and in with Kent.”

Rick glanced over at Jenna and lightly nodded his head. He turned back to Jax and asked, “Did Kent ever show any signs of abusive behavior?”

“Abuse? Not that I noticed. He was demanding, but not abusive. Well, except…” Jax paused.

“Except what?” Jenna asked.

“I hadn’t seen Leo for months. He showed up at my apartment one day, nearly two years ago, and said that he and Kent were moving to Virginia. Something about Kent’s sister was ill. Anyway, Leo had bruises on his arms. I asked about them, but he said he’d bruised them while packing to move. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but now… Are you suggesting that Kent has been abusing Leo this whole time?”

“We’re not sure how long it’s been going on, but yes. Leo has been abused.”

Jax threw himself back into his seat, a bit over-dramatically. “That stupid kid. I tried to warn him. I could just sense there was something off with Kent. I just couldn’t figure out what.”

“Just one final question, Jax and we’ll let you go on your way,” Rick stated. “Have you heard from Leo since he moved to Virginia?”

“Just once, a week back. I was a bit surprised by his call. I never thought I would hear from him again.”

“What did say?” Jenna prodded.

“He didn’t make much sense, to tell you the truth. I think he was drunk. He kept going on about some dogs and saying that Kent had gone crazy. I heard some shouting in the background. Figured it was Kent and the line went dead. I tried to call him back, but just got voicemail.”

Rick and Jenna stood up.

“Thank you, Jax. You’ve been most helpful,” Rick said as he held his hand out.

Jax shook his hand. “If you see Leo, will you let him know that I miss him?”

Jenna smiled. “We’ll tell him.”

The next few interrogations went pretty much the same. The other model, a young man by the name of Devious, confirmed Jax’s story. The three who looked like druggies had met Kent in the same club. They’d each been casual lovers of Kent’s and he’d supplied them with cocaine to keep them coming back. The last one, a guy named Alex, said that even after Leo moved in, Kent still called upon him and would have sex with him in front of Leo. None of them experienced abuse, nor saw Kent abuse Leo. Before his sister became seriously ill, Kent just seemed like a rich jerk. Rick and Jenna moved on to the last man on their list. The one who appeared completely normal.

“Good morning, Mr. Olsen,” Rick said as he sat down across from the man. “Thank you for taking the time to talk with us.”

Olsen sat sideways in his chair with his legs crossed. He nodded politely. “Good morning, agents.”

Jerome Olsen, as it turned out, was a gallery owner and had held shows several times for Percy over a ten-year period.

“Can you tell us about his art?” Jenna asked.

“He was brilliant. He didn’t limit himself to just one medium. Watercolors, oils, charcoal sketches, even sculptures.”

“Did you notice any odd changes in his work over the years?” Rick inquired.

“You have to understand,” Olsen began, “Kent’s work was always edgy, somewhat dark too. I asked him once if he was trying to work out his demons through his art. The only time that changed was during his Leo phase. Apparently, he’d met some young model and did a whole series of sketches of him. They were beautiful, elegant, like he had captured that young model’s soul. It was the last show I did for him before he disappeared somewhere in Virginia. Virginia of all places! His parents thought he was dead until the FBI contacted me. I had to call them, of course,” he concluded.

“Of course,” Jenna said nonchalantly. So, the parents knew. They’d have to talk to them too now. Jenna made a note on her iPad.

“Is there anything else you can tell us about Kent Percy, Mr. Olsen?” Rick asked.

“If you are looking for odd behavior, you may want to check with the Rosewood Coven. They are a local coven of witches. Kent was involved with them for a while. He did some beautiful watercolors during that phase, but something happened and he left them before finishing his series.”

Rick’s eyes grew wide. He knew all too well who the Rosewood Coven were. Mazi was a member.

Seeing You (a working title) is the story of Rayne Fallon, a witch with the power to see into the past and future, although not always accurately. She gets tangled up with FBI’s SA Rick Harris and SA Jenna Styles as they search for an 8 year old missing girl, thought to have been kidnapped by a Serial Killer.

Rick, Jenna, and Rayne traveled to New York in near-silence. Rick had put in a cd of light jazz at the on-start of the trip, something that Jenna ribbed him about for the first few miles. They shared their banter back and forth, while Rayne sat in the back seat listening. She’d come to enjoy that aspect of the two agents. They’d been on the case for just over a month now and Rayne considered the two friends. She couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to that friendship once the case was over and they parted ways.

An hour into the drive, the music had soothed Rick. He fell silent and kept his eyes on the road. A light snow had fallen, but the roads weren’t hazardous. Jenna kept herself busy with her iPad. She had earbuds in and was watching a documentary of some kind. She’d told Rayne the title, but Rayne hadn’t paid much attention. The missing girls and Kent Percy consumed her. Just the thought of his name sent chills down her spine.

Rayne laid her head on the backseat headrest and stared up at the padded ceiling of the car. Her right hand encircled the moon pendant around her neck. She knew it prevented her from having visions, but fear of Percy had forced her to keep it on for days now. You are of no help this way, her mind whispered. She swallowed the fear and decided to remove the necklace. She would let the visions surface because she needed to know that the girls were okay. Slowly, she reached behind her neck and unclasped it. It fell into her hand and she slid it into the pocket of the skirt she wore. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Sleep overcame her.

He’s going to kill me.

Rayne watched as Leo Decker paced in his cell. She’d seen pictures of him, but when they brought him in for interrogation, she wasn’t given the opportunity to see him up close. Now, as she watched him, she noticed his eyes. Green Alexandrite. So rare, it was only used as a side stone in expensive jewelry settings. That’s what Leo was, a rare side-kick to Percy and Percy knew it. Decker paced, sat down on the bench, fretted, stood up, and paced some more.

I should have stayed in New York. I could have modeled for other artists, or gone back to the clubs. I am doomed. God help me. I am doomed.

Rayne felt his fear as he rubbed the bruises on his arms. She reached into his mind and pulled out one of Decker’s last memories. He was in a room alone with Percy. There was nothing unusual about it – a couch, chair, and a television hanging on the wall. Clothes and beer bottles were strewn about on the floor. Rayne heard a whooshing sound. The metro. This was Percy’s place.

I can’t do this anymore. I’m going back to New York.

You go when I say you can go.

You’ve changed, Kent. All these girls. All this death. I didn’t sign up for any of this.

Percy walked over to Decker and embraced him. He stared into his eyes and kissed his lips, not once blinking. The kiss deepened. Decker’s body softened as he wrapped his hands around Percy’s neck and returned the kiss. Percy backed his lover up against a wall, his hands reaching up under Decker’s tank top. Rayne heard their moans of desire, felt Decker giving in to Percy’s pursuits. And then Percy bit down hard on Decker’s lower lip, grasped his arms and squeezed until Decker screamed out in pain. Percy backed away and laughed.

I took you off the streets, whore. Gave you everything. A beautiful house and a car. Allowed you to model for me and make me millions. Oh, dear Leo, I own you.

Decker wiped the blood from his lip and leered at Percy. And then you took it all away. You don’t own me. Nobody does.

Percy laughed again. Really? Then why do you always do my bidding? You work the streets to pay for all of this. He held his hands out and turned around in a circle. He stopped and faced Decker again. And you satiate my appetites. You don’t even care about those dogs. None of them.

I care about Mia. You said she was too young. Why’d you make me take her?

Because that witch and her FBI friends took my mark! I needed a fresh one. I can’t stand the stench of those other two dogs. They aren’t Bethany.

Bethany died. You know she did. And those aren’t dogs, Kent. They are frightened little girls.

Percy slapped Decker across the jaw. I should kill you. Maybe I will.

Decker cowered and ducked out of the way, fearing another blow or worse.

Percy chuckled. Not today, whore. I still need you. Go clean the cages and feed them dogs. And when you’ve done that, get to the street. We’re running out of food.

Rayne watched as Decker hugged the wall and slid along it. He reached the doorway and ran to the basement door. As he clambered down the stairs, Rayne could hear the girls’ whimpers. Decker reached up and pulled a cord, lighting up the room. For the first time, Rayne could see clear details. It was a small room with cement walls. The work bench was hand-crafted, and the shelves were definitely from the church center. The lower shelves were rusted, but the upper two shelves were fine. The top shelf held bags of candy and cookies. Two liter sodas and jugs of orange juice filled the second shelf. Rayne could see out of the basement window and across the street on the other side of the metro line since it wasn’t running now. There was a small convenience store, but she couldn’t make out the name of it.

Decker moved over to the cages. Gina’s mouth was duct taped and her brown hair matted. She tried to scream, but only muffled whimpers came out. She kicked the cage with her bound feet to no avail. Sally laid on her side with her face away from front of the cage. Her breathing was shallow and her mouth covered with duct tape as well. In the third cage, Mia sat looking up at Decker with tears in her eyes. She was muzzled and her hands and feet bound. Decker ignored Sally and Gina and went immediately to Mia’s cage. He opened it and removed the muzzle. He reached over to the shelves, removed a jug of orange juice, and poured some in a plastic cup inside the cage.

He lifted the cup to Mia’s lips. Please drink, Mia.

The girl shook her head and the orange juice spilled onto the floor through the holes in the cage. She began to cry for her mommy. Decker couldn’t take the wailing and stuffed her mouth with a cloth and returned the muzzle.

I’m sorry, Mia. So sorry.

Rayne could hear footsteps on the upper stairs. And then a voice shouting.

You don’t really want me to come down there, do you? Stop playing with those damn dogs and feed them!

Decker muttered under his breath as he walked to a corner of the room and removed a mop out of a bucket, squeezing it. He set it up against the table and went back to the cages. Carefully, he lifted each cage onto the table, mopped the floor and then set the cages back down. He unlocked the cages and loosened all three girls’ hands. He put candy bars and cookies into each cage and filled their cups with soda. Finally, he removed the duct tape and muzzle from the girls’ mouths.

Shhh, don’t scream or cry. Just eat your food or he will come down here.

Decker backed away from the cages and ran his hands through his hair. He turned around in a circle, waving his hands wildly in the air. I didn’t want any of this. I’ll leave. Just get in the car and go. He won’t come looking for me.

Decker turned to leave, but went back to the third cage instead. He bent down, and stared at Mia. Tears streamed down his face. After a few moments, he stood upright and bolted back up the stairs. Without saying anything to Percy, Decker stormed out the front door, went to the garage and got into his car. He clicked the garage door opener and the door lifted. As he pulled out of the garage, Rayne tried to see a house number, but Decker didn’t look back at the house. She could see the street though and the metro zooming by. Decker sat there, staring at it. Whoosh, whoosh.

Rayne woke up with a start and knocked her knee against Rick’s seat.

Rick looked at her through the rearview. “Are you okay?”

Rayne nodded. “The girls are still alive. Well, at least they were before Decker was arrested.”

Jenna pulled the earbuds out of her ears. “What’s going on?

“Rayne had a vision.”

“What did you see?”

“Decker and Percy argued. Decker wanted to go back to New York, but Percy refused to let him. They’re lovers, of sorts and Percy is definitely being abusive.”

“Not well. She didn’t move the entire time I saw her in the vision. I don’t think Sally and Gina have long though. He has grown tired of them and with Sally being sick…”

“Don’t think about it, Rayne. We are going to catch this sick bastard,” Jenna assured her.

Rayne slowly nodded her head. If she could see through Percy’s eyes or tap into his head like she had Decker’s, then maybe she could figure out his plans.

There you are witch. Been hiding behind that pendant, huh? And now here you are.

Rayne heard Percy’s voice, but couldn’t see anything. Then suddenly, Percy’s face was in her face and he shouted at her.

Where’s Leo?

Seeing You (a working title) is the story of Rayne Fallon, a witch with the power to see into the past and future, although not always accurately. She gets tangled up with FBI’s SA Rick Harris and SA Jenna Styles as they search for an 8 year old missing girl, thought to have been kidnapped by a Serial Killer.

For the next two days, the case sat at a standstill. The FBI and the Fairfax Police had continued canvassing the mile-long neighborhood near the metro, but so far turned up no leads. They had units patrolling the area of the triangulation, but the white Ford Fusion hadn’t turned up. Rayne’s frustration grew. She’d had no visions and fretted over the welfare of the three girls in Kent Percy’s clutches. She felt useless to the investigation. The whole team felt useless.

It was midday on the second day. The team sat in the conference room going over the case again in hopes that they’d find something they’d overlooked. Troy stuck by Captain Jakes’ side, coordinating with patrol officers. Meanwhile, Rick took the old-school route and shuffled through the paper files, Jenna fished through her notes on her iPad, and Trip monitored police reports on his laptops. There was nothing for Rayne to do, so she kept the coffee cups full. An eerie silence hung over the entire team. No one wanted to admit that time could be running out for Gina, Sally, and Mia. Rayne finally curled up on a chair and closed her eyes, but before she even fell asleep, Trip let out a yell.

“They’ve got him!”

Rayne sat up and rubbed her eyes. Rick and Jenna jumped up from their seats and headed to the end of the table. Troy, who’d heard Trip yell, had been in the captain’s office. He hurried into the conference room with Captain Jakes on his heels.

“They’ve got who?” Troy asked when he reached the end of the table.

“Leo Decker. They’re bringing him in as we speak.”

Jenna raised a brow. “Percy wasn’t with him?”

“Afraid not.”

Rick slammed his fist on the table. He didn’t normally have such fits of rage, but this case had worn him down. “Damn it,” he muttered.

Troy glared at him. “Cool head, Rick. I want you to interrogate this guy and I can’t have you going in there half-cocked.”

Rick nodded his head and walked away from the table. As he rubbed the side of his hand, he stared out the window. The police department was situated across the street from an elementary school. It was recess and the kids were out playing on swings and running around. His eyes zeroed in on every young girl who came into his field of vision. He couldn’t help but ponder what could happen to any of them if they didn’t get Percy behind bars soon.

Rayne walked over and joined Rick by the window. She followed his gaze and sighed. “We were worried about eight-to-ten-year-old girls, but now even younger girls are at risk.”

Rick wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. “We’ll get him. I’ll make Decker talk.”

Troy motioned for Jenna to join him over by the white board, and she followed him there. He stood in silence for a moment and then finally said, “If Rick doesn’t get anything out of Decker, the two of you are going on a road trip.”

“To where?”

“New York City. I’ve been talking to the New York office and they’ve tracked down some buddies of Decker’s. I want you two to go up there and talk to them.”

“I don’t mean to question you, sir, but why can’t the New York team handle this?”

“I let them do the grunt work, but this is my case and I want you two to do the questioning.”

“Understood, sir. What about Rayne?”

Troy glanced over at Rayne, who still leaned against Rick, and sighed. “I suppose you must take her with you.”

The captain nodded and the officer left. He cocked his head at Troy. “It’s your show now.”

# # #

Leo Decker was a slim male, approximately five-foot-seven, with short cropped blond hair and green eyes. He wore a grey tank top, blue jeans, and scruffy black boots. He sat hunched over the table with his legs crossed and his hands twisted together over his chest. When Rick entered the room, the young man didn’t even acknowledge him. Instead, he stared at a spot on the table, unflinching. Rick sat down across from him and tossed a couple of file folders onto the table. He sat there for a long moment staring at Decker.

“Do you know why we brought you in, Mr. Decker?” he finally asked.

The young man shook his head, but continued to stare at the table.

“Do you know Kent Percy?”

Decker looked up with a hint of fear in his eyes, but said nothing.

“I know you do. We have witnesses who’ve seen you two together.”

“He’s… he’s a friend.”

“A friend, okay. Is he the one who put those bruises on your arms?”

Decker stared down at his arms and then glared up at Rick. A moment later, he lowered his eyes.

Decker rolled his eyes around and tilted his head toward the ceiling. “A few times.”

“What about a van? Has he ever driven around in one?”

The young man remained silent.

“Do you share living quarters with him?”

“No, no, no no no,” he said, slightly agitated.

“Okay, Mr. Decker. Calm down.” Rick opened a folder and pulled out a picture of Mia and swung it around in front of Decker. “Recognize this girl?”

He glanced down at the picture, scrunched up his face and flipped it over.

“You do, don’t you?”

Decker shook his head.

“Don’t lie to me, Mr. Decker. I know you know her. She’s missing and you were seen down at the church center the day she disappeared. Her mother, Maria, said you two were friends. What happened to her?”

Decker stared blankly at Rick.

“What did you do to her? Where did you take her?”

He said nothing. Instead, he wrinkled up his brow and shifted nervously on the chair.

Rick pulled out Gina and Sally’s pictures and pushed them across the table. “What about these two girls?”

Decker sneered at Rick.

Rick slammed his fist on the table. “Look at them.”

The young man slowly dropped his gaze. When his eyes landed on the girls’ pictures, he teared up.

“You know who they are too, don’t you?”

Decker shook his head wildly. “No, no.”

“Stop lying to me. Where are they?”

Silence.

Rick opened a second file and tossed the pictures of the eight dead girls across the table. “I bet you remember these girls too.”

Decker pushed the pictures across the table and swung his body sideways in the chair. “I… I want… a lawyer,” he stuttered.

Rick sighed heavily and stood up. He gathered the pictures and stuffed them back into the folder. “You’ll need a damn lawyer,” he said as he walked out of the room and slammed the door.

# # #

Rick threw up his hands. “I got nothing. He lawyered up.”

Troy paced in front of the white board. “I figured he would. He’s been through the system enough times to know better than to talk.”

“I thought he was going to crack. He came so close. By the time I’d shown him all the girls’ photos though, that’s when he asked for a lawyer.”

“Percy’s got too much control over him.”

“He did admit to knowing Percy and lending him his car. That at least makes him an accessory.”

“Possibly, but I want something solid on him.”

“So, what now?”

“We’ll hold him for forty-eight hours. Try to talk to him again with his lawyer present. We’ve got nothing else here. I am sending you, Jenna, and Rayne to New York City. Maybe you can dig up something there that’s helpful. I’ve already spoken to Jenna. She’ll fill you in.”

“Great. Maybe a road trip will help clear my head.”

Troy chuckled and headed toward the door. “Can you even function with a clear head?”

“Funny one, boss,” Rick grinned.

“Keep in touch with Trip,” Troy said as he walked out of the conference room.

Rick walked over to Jenna, Rayne and Trip who were huddled around the laptops. The New York office had sent files on some of the men they’d rounded up who knew Decker. Rick counted six in all. They’d also sent Decker’s arrest files.

“I’ll send it all to your iPads,” Trip said.

“Just mine,” Jenna said. “I don’t think Rick even knows how to use his yet.”

Rick scoffed. “I do too. I just… I don’t like the blasted thing. I scroll one way and it goes the other direction.”

Jenna chuckled. “Admit it, you’re just too damn old.”

This caused Rayne to laugh.

“Don’t you start too,” Rick growled and then winked at Rayne.

She muffled another laugh with her hands.

“We’d better get going,” Rick said.

A wave of seriousness washed over them as Rick and Jenna packed up their briefcases and Rayne gathered her hobo bag. It was late afternoon and they still had to go by Jenna’s for some clothes and get something to eat. It would be an all-night drive to New York and Rick couldn’t face it on an empty stomach. Trip gave them a thump’s up as they headed out the door.

Seeing You (a working title) is the story of Rayne Fallon, a witch with the power to see into the past and future, although not always accurately. She gets tangled up with FBI’s SA Rick Harris and SA Jenna Styles as they search for an 8 year old missing girl, thought to have been kidnapped by a Serial Killer.